Fate
by Gentle Breezes
Summary: Fran has traveled for years, both by herself and with her roguish partner Balthier. Fran-centric and a one-shot about Fran's thoughts on how things were when she left the Wood, and touches on why she left.


**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy 12 and all characters encompassing belong to Square Enix. I just wrote this drabble.

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She is old; very old by Hume standards. And yet she would still be considered young had she stayed in the Wood. Despite her first lifetime having passed by, to her sisters she would be a child still, with much to learn and take in.

She doesn't regret her decision to leave the Wood often. There are those times when homesickness hurts so much that it consumes her thoughts for a day or two, and she gives these thoughts their due attention so that she may move on. She knows full well that if she does not think upon these things and save them up for later, the hurt will increase tenfold. But these moments do not come often, and she quite enjoys her time spent in Ivalice despite her earlier misgivings.

For a few years, she traveled Ivalice to take in the sights and the smells and the confusion by herself. Wandering outside in the open sun was difficult at first, as her skin had been protected by the dewy shade of the Wood. It was also a bit trying to adjust to the noise outside. There was so much of it; even when she was in the Dalmascan deserts her sensitive ears picked up the voices of Humes, Seeqs and Bangaas from Rabanastre. And the monsters. Hunting and defeating monsters was never a problem for Fran, as the fiends in the Wood were so much stronger than those of the deserts (much to her surprise). It was the noise they made that really threw her off. Marlboros and Panther Coeurls, despite their vicious natures, were generally quiet. Wolves and Urstrix were as violent as they were loud, and elementals were a serious problem. Of course, Fran was nothing if not cunning. Although usually learning the hard way, she grew stronger and savvier against the fiends of the deserts, finding ways to get past their noise and take them down in just a few strokes.

Once in a while, she would encounter other Viera who had left the protection of their sisters. Stoic as ever, they would greet each other formally. But inside, Fran's heart was glad to see these women who were just like her. This was especially the case when she had first left home. When she made it into Rabanastre after a few trips through the areas near the Wood, the Viera were some of the first to find her. They treated her wounds and gave her a place to stay, passing down precious advice and tactics so that she would learn quickly how to survive.

"It is admirable that you have made it this far without gaining extreme battle damage," one of the Viera, Krjn, said as she wrapped Fran's injured leg. "I remember when I first left. I broke my leg in two places, and knew no cure spells. I had not the mind for preparation yet."

"You were very young then?" Fran asked, wincing as the bandages were tied.

"Yes, I was," the Viera said back, gently moving Fran's leg aside and taking up her arm to check it. "It was still within the span of my first lifetime. I was a mere 50 years old; still such a child. I was stronger than any Hume I met, but I was careless. It seems you at least took the time to learn your magicks before leaving."

"I thought it important to learn such things," Fran said. "Our sisters knew how to use them, but chose not to, as we led lives peaceful enough not to use such destructive power."

Krjn nodded. "And yet such methods are incredibly effective against the beasts of the surrounding areas. As powerful as we Viera are, we are no match for the noise of the outside world."

Fran allowed herself a tiny smile at this. "Indeed. There appears no escape from the noise, even in the sands of the desert where all should be quiet."

"Time it takes," Krjn said, releasing Fran's arm to rest at her side. "The noise is great outside the Wood, but you will adjust."

Fran stayed silent for a moment. Krjn got up to go to her room, but Fran's voice stopped her. "The Wood; I cannot hear her as well as I used to."

"It is to be expected," the woman said, not turning around. "There is much noise in the outside world; so much that the day you are used to it is the day you become deaf to all else."

"I will...no longer hear her?"

Krjn looked over her shoulder, allowing sadness into her gaze. "Indeed," she responded at length. "It is a shame, yes? To gain something only to lose something else. But that is the price of such freedom." She stood in silence before speaking once more. "It is not too late to return. Accept you back the Viera may not, but to go into the protection of the jungles once more would allow your hearing to be restored."

Fran leaned her head against the wall. "Do you miss her voice?"

"I do. But I have no room for regret," Krjn said, turning around to face Fran. "I miss her, but Ivalice is larger than the Wood. I suppose...I am rebellious in this. My family always said as much," she said softly, smiling. "However, I have learned of the world outside that is changing. And learned I have about the people even I can help to lead better lives." She took a step closer to look at Fran. "Do you regret your decision?"

Fran stood. "No, I do not. It was not a hasty decision, as I had meditated on it for some time. Miss the Wood I will, but I too wished to know of the world beyond my home."

She would later recall this conversation and replay in her head a thousand times as her senses were dulled to the Wood while she traveled through the sands surrounding Rabanastre. It was true that she had wanted to leave to know of the world beyond the lush green trees to see what was out there. And she would be a fool to deny the fact that the promise of adventure made even her spine tingle with excitement. But wasn't there another reason? Shouldn't there be another reason to take one's self away from the home they loved so much?

Even now, she cannot quite say. She looks at her partner take the controls of the Strahl as if taking the hands of a lover, and she doesn't want to think on what part fate may have played in all of this. She doesn't want to think about the possibility that her need to leave the Wood was simply so she could meet him later in life, unbeknownst to her. True, this young, unabashed, arrogant man was a large part of her life. He promised her freedom and adventure and a place to be safe at no cost to her conscience whatsoever. And as much as he flaunted himself, took them on the most ridiculous trips and planned the most daring exploits, at the end of the day she never had doubts she would be well-cared for.

But she absolutely refused to acknowledge fate in all of this.

* * *

There is almost no point to this, but it was fun to make. It's not exactly what you might call Fran x Balthier, but I suppose it depends on how you look at it. I think it would be interesting if Krjn and Fran had interacted during the game, but oh well. (FYI: Krjn is the Viera in Clan Centurio. Her sister _Ktjn_ is the one who is trying to decide what to do with her life.)

Let me know what you think. Is this something worth reading, is this just a load of silly, et cetera. Any and all opinions are most welcome! Thank you for reading!


End file.
